“Don’t get cocky, you’re still no stronger than an insect.”

“You’re not wrong there but didn’t you know? Even an insect leaves a sore bite, now and then.”

Her eyes winced as my hand raised to her.

“Dragons Roar!”

Red light encompassed my hand, filling my entire hand up to my wrist with a thriving red glow. In front of me, a large dragon's head appeared in the air. Its mouth was nearly half my entire body length, with a set of dagger-like fangs to pair.

“It’s really, a dragon!”

It was made from the same red mist that my other skills displayed.

After chanting out the skill, the dragon's golden eyes shot open and the mouth followed suit. Ilinore felt what would come next, her eyes widened as worry overcame her. She took a step back, it was the first sign of retreating.

Is she…afraid?

I nearly gawked. It was the first time she had ever done such a thing and by my hand no less. All that was left was to fire the attack.

A build-up of scarlet flames grew in the dragon’s mouth and erupted like an active volcano. Its fierce red hot flames reached me all the way from behind the Dragon’s head. Even with it blasting towards her I felt as though my clothes would melt off at any second.

It wasn’t anything like Alice’s flames, where I felt safe and warm. These flames that I had produced were violent, red-hot fires that could easily hurt someone.

Ilinore didn’t wait to feel its wrath and swiftly dodged out of the blast's path. The full effects of my Dragons Roar struck the end of the room and blew out a large portion of the wall that stood there.

Once the warm embrace from the steam had settled, we were left with a large crater that still glowed red hot from the raging flames which had hit it.

I took a step back in disarray.

“Did I really do that?”

Ilinore who had dodged the attack, circled back into my blind spot. My right side was completely exposed.

“Shit—it won’t trigger Serpent’s Coil!”

I pulled my arm away and dispersed the Dragon but I wasn’t fast enough to turn to her. Ilinore had closed the gap and delivered a powerful blow to my rib. Her arm froze at my side and wouldn’t move any further.

“What is this? Another cheap trick?”

{Iron body has been activated}

“No trick, just a skill.” I grinned.

Her hand wasn’t able to break past the golem’s silhouette and Ilinore retreated. She gracefully hopped a few feet away and with one step managed to clear a couple of feet of distance. She travelled back with a smooth jump that made it look like she was floating.

I’m sure I would have died back then if it weren't for the Iron Body. I didn’t even have to call it out, it was as if my body summoned the skill from feeling alone. Was it a sixth sense maybe?

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I quickly noticed Ilinore moving further and further away, the gap had become too large for me to reach her.

“Shit, she’s getting away.”

I need to close the distance somehow, someway to bring her to me!

“Where do you think, you’re goin'!”

Arga’s powerful swing broke through the air and just narrowly avoided Ilinore’s backside. With a graceful manoeuvre, she managed to clear over her sword.

“This one’s up again too, how is this possible? Those flames from before must be the reason…could it be some sort of healing factor?”

She stopped and turned to Arga, swaying out her ivory hair as the wind caught up with her.

“I think I’ll have to stop all of this casual fighting and just destroy you.”

In a series of blinding steps she approached Arga, she stood in front of her with no expression of composure left. Her stare was cold but the level of bloodlust that surfaced was even deadlier.

All alarms went off inside my head. We weren't dealing with a mindless monster or some strong human. She was a Demon, one able to tear us from this world with a single strike. With Arga on the front lines against speed like that, she might as well have been courting death.

My eyes darted ahead and focused on the sharp nails at the end of her dainty fingers. I knew what was coming next and I needed to reach her before that could happen.

“Give me Rabbit’s Foot.”

The system responded to my command and the Passive skill had been set, before I could give it a chance to confirm I placed one foot in front of me and set off.

“RUSH!”

My foot broke away from the ground and lifted me forward.

By the time her nails had closed in on Arga’s chest, a white blade intercepted and she was knocked back.

Her crystal pink eyes met mine and no words were needed. Her fury and my desperation. It spoke louder than any sound could resonate.

The moment my blade met her nail she broke away and her leg came flying around to my shoulder. I pulled back and managed to dodge the attack. Luckily for us, the effects of my Rush skill had still been active, paired with my Rabbit’s Foot and I was able to keep us with her.

Her face wrestled between her surprise and the frustration that displayed in her eyes.

After her ankle came down it immediately shot back up for another strike. I didn’t have the room to dodge so I held up my arms to block it. Big Mistake. The force behind it was greater than anything a punch could produce.

I was blown off my feet and Arga who had been pressed against my backside, went flying with me. As we fell back through the air I caught a glimpse of the pink blur that rushed towards us.

Out of panic, I held out my hand to cast another Dragons Roar but I wasn’t fast enough.

She raised her leg perfectly vertically and sent it crashing down over us. The full brunt of her attack focused on my waist and forced us to the ground with a shattering crash.

Arga received the worst of it. As our bodies hit the ground and chunks of purple stone crumbled beneath us, she let out a feint cough filled with blood.

“Pathetic. You continue to defy superior beings and call it fighting, and for what? You will never be strong enough to defeat me.”

Her cold lifeless eyes stared down at us. I could feel the disgust in her words, I never felt that small before.

She raised her knee to her stomach and kept it suspended for a moment.

“Was it this strength that allowed you to kill that useless bird I sent?”

That bird, could she mean…the Rhaskan?

Her heel suddenly slammed to the ground, it shattered even more of the ground beneath us upon impact. The second impact left so much broken I couldn't tell whether it was my ribs or the ground under us.

“Gah—!”

I felt so bad being on top of Arga. Each hit wasn’t just hurting me but forcing my weight on her too. I tried to get off but once I focused on Shadow—

“—Argh!!”

Another blow to my gut and a mouthful of saliva shot out.

“I knew I should have gone down and slaughtered you humans myself.”

Another blow to our bodies and a pulse of air burst out from beneath her heel. That was the hardest she hit us, I wondered how we survived.

“Honestly, it’s sickening to see how you humans behave. To think, that old fool Ellios wished to protect your kind.”

“!”

A burst of spikes rose from the ground and Ilinore hopped into the air.

Her eyes fixated on the single white strand of hair that floated down in front of her.

“Tsk! There’s that ignorant defiance of yours.”

Ellios…she definitely said his name just now right?

The spikes retreated into my shadow as I stood up from the ground. I got up f and walked ahead with a blank expression on my face.

“R…Rei?”

I couldn't hear Arga’s words, for some reason, they were muffled behind the growing high-pitched note taking precedence in my ears.

The walls, the ceiling and even Arga all faded out of view with only Ilinore standing in front of me. Everything else didn’t matter, it didn’t exist.

“What did you say about Ellios?”